International Wild Bird Trade Threatens Birds and People

The African Grey Parrot is becoming threatened as its numbers drop in the wild. One of 3,000 species of birds bought and sold as pets, the African Grey is immensely popular as a companion animal because of its extraordinary mimicry skills.

African Greys are both bred in captivity and caught in the wild for the international pet trade industry. However, as many as 60 percent of birds caught in the wild die while en route to pet stores, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in Britain. And those birds who survive may be carrying the bird flu. Capturing them, putting them in close proximity to other birds, and then selling them to people as pets is a risky business for both birds and people.

To help bolster wild bird populations, the RSPB is calling for a ban on bird imports in Europe. Apparently, the European Union is the largest importer of birds in the world. The ban won’t impact bird ownership, however, as birds bred in captivity adapt better to their home-bound state than those caught in the wild.

If you are wondering how we fare in the U.S. on this issue, I am glad to say that this is one of those rare instances where we actually are ahead of the rest of the world. (Most of the time, our animal laws are behind the European Union, who has long outlawed steel-jaw leg hold traps and who has created a marketplace for humanely raised food animals.) In the U.S., the Endangered Species Act and the Wild Bird Conservation Act forbids the illegal trade of wild birds. Unfortunately, if there is money to be made, people will find ways around the law: wild birds smuggled into the U.S. are later claimed to have been bred in captivity.

Internationally, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which regulates the global bird trade and bans trade of endangered species, offers the most promising protections for threatened populations. As I write, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) is having their annual animal committee meeting in Lima, Peru, so I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they will halt this practice internationally.

If we don’t ban the international wild bird trade to bolster wild bird populations, perhaps we will do it for selfish reasons: to reduce the human health risk of spreading the bird flu.

About the Author

Cathy M. Rosenthal has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, communications and humane education in the animal welfare field. She has worked for local humane societies and national humane groups, appearing on hundreds of television and radio news and public affairs programs to address animal issues. She currently is a consultant for local and national animal welfare organizations, writing grants, annual reports and other marketing materials. She is also the author of several children's books about animals.